Lebanon in the Context of Regional Politics : Palestinian and Syrian Involvement in the Lebanese Crisis - Rashid Khalidi

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School

McGill University

Department

Political Science

Course

POLI 341

Professor

Imad Mansour

Semester

Fall

Description

AUTHOR RASHID I KHALIDI Lebanon in the Context of Regional Politics Palestinian and Syrian Involvement in the Lebanese Crisis The purpose of the article is to contrast PLO and Syrian involvement in Lebanon with that of other powers and at the same time comparing them with one another The author seeks to demonstrate how external interventions succeed in some cases and fail in others as well as how domestic crises and external intervention by regional powers intersect Syria and PLO in comparison to all other external actors who have intervened inLebanon are both still heavily involved in Lebanon for certain reasonsThe US and Israel were 2 major powers that were destroyed by their interventions in LebanonSaudi Arabia Iraq Jordan Egypt and Libyas positions in Lebanon have also significantly reduced Currently Irans position is diminishing as wellEuropean states have lost their influence in Lebanon most importantly France who firmly tried to maintain their presence IN SUM apart from Syria and the PLO basically every actor which intervened in the Lebanese crises has seen its role diminished Syria and the PLO have important assets that enable them to influence and act in Lebanon although there have been periods in the past where their influence diminished and they suffered as seen in the 1982 war SYRIA is the dominant power in LebanonwhyoRetains a multidivisional force in the Beqa Valley and north Lebanon oEnjoys paramount influence with the weak central governmentoEntertains privileged relations with most important Lebanese political factions PLOalthough not as important as Syria still play a noteworthy roleoDriven out of south Lebanon and Beirut by Israel in 1982 oShaken by a Syrianbacked revolt in 1983oForced from the Beqa Valley and Tripoli by Syria in 19834 oBUT They have reestablished their dominant position in the Palestinian refugee camps in the Beirut and Sidon areasHave an underground force of unknown size in action in South Lebanon against the IsraelisMaintains close and friendly relations with a number of Lebanese factionsPLOs history in LebanonoUntil late 1960sthey had very little significant involvement in Lebanese politicsoThe PLOs presence was seen by some Lebanese as posing a potential threat to the precarious sectarian and political balance of the countryoIn the mid 1960sthere was a rise of the Palestinian commandos who